GT4 appreciation thread

[TDT]

langlord said:

I have had my GT4 for just over a year now and I cant think of another car I rather have.
The other was on the Silverstone GP circuit with PEC, on their performance driving course where I really got to experience the limits of the car. The car did not miss a beat, kept up with notably quicker cars on track and then I just drove home.

How did you find this Sports Driving School course?.... I'm going to be booking myself on for next year...

[TDT]

Obligatory Pic.... words to follow at some point later

Edited by TDT on Thursday 7th September 10:38

[paralla]

I've never eaten so many bacon rolls in my life since I got the GT4.

Voodoo standing out at a PCGB thing at the Ace Cafe a few months ago. No idea why mine was papped and appeared in their monthly rag.

[Geoff39GL]

A picture of mine just before collection,

Bought it at the end of March with 300 miles now over 4000 and 2 track days a really nice car great on A / B roads, comes alive earlier than my previous 991GT3, could do with the gearing being a bit lower and a bit more power but overall a nice road car and a very good track day car it makes an average driver feel good.

Going on a road trip this weekend to the South of France with 2 x 997 GT3's and a GT2 should be fun and will give me an idea when it gets to stretch its legs in good company just how good it is

[Twinfan]

I found it was a great track car if you prioritise fun and engagement over absolute raw speed. Very capable with high limits you can attempt to explore.

If you have one and don't take it on a track you're totally missing out on its reason d'etre...

[Porsche911R]

Twinfan said:

I found it was a great track car if you prioritise fun and engagement over absolute raw speed. Very capable with high limits you can attempt to explore.

If you have one and don't take it on a track you're totally missing out on its reason d'etre...

I could say if you have one and take it on track with a standard geo you're totally missing out on its reason d'etre ;-)

[fossilfuelled]

Snuck mine onto the forecourt of the museum:

and here with a friend:

a spot of lunch by a great road:

Edited by fossilfuelled on Thursday 7th September 20:16

[IainR]

Owned since new in December 2015. Carrera white. Clubsport. PCCBs. 918 bucket seats. Done around 2,500 miles.

Maybe a bit weird, but this car is really beginning to grow on me. Took it easy for the first 2,000 miles (over the summer) and it isn't really a day-to-day proposition as the bucket seats - whilst superbly supportive and comfortable - do take a bit of getting out of sometimes.

Now I'm happy to rev it, it really has begun to come into its own. My commute is 20 miles cross country, pretty quiet A roads and it's epic. I agree with the comments about the perfect amo

[IainR]

... amount of power. Gearbox epic. Cornering and handling just epic.

Did think about selling at one point, but definitely feels like a keeper now - and I want to use it properly.

[jcosh]

Porsche911R said:

why not post a pic and a review then on your GT4 ? rather than get into a slagging match ;-)

I have to respond to what people post, as a few posters in this short time have agreed less can be more, you are not into driving and into looks so why not just post a nice pic, this sort of post just derails the thread and now you made me post again lol

I'm really not interested in a 'slagging match' with you Mr Demon, 911R, David or who ever you are. I'm just tired of you steam rollering every GT4 based thread with your insistence on telling anybody and everybody how much better your CR is. I really don't care and I'm bored of your comments on the matter.

So, moving on to the point of this excellent thread and my views on the GT4, my GT4. I've owned it for a year, bought it new (one of the last) and have covered almost 5k miles in it. All on road, to date, so my impressions are not track based although I did drive one at PEC.

My car is specced as a usable road car rather than a CS car (I didn't like the driving position of the buckets) so I have the excellent 18 way seats. I LOVE them! They are very comfortable for long journeys, I can get in and out easily and I can adjust them until my hearts content. I also have lots of extra leather (inc. seat backs) and yellow contrast stitching which adds to the quality of the interior. A very comfortable place to be for long tours etc.

Many people complain about the clutch being too heavy, I haven't owned a manual car for several years before the GT4 and not once have I thought the clutch to be heavy. Nor do I find the gearing too long, I know many do but I don't. I do however wish it had a little more power at the top end and a smoother torque delivery. Not a deal breaker by any means but the chassis is so capable that it could handle another 50HP with ease.

The ride comfort is incredible for a GT car as it is very well damped and handles bumps in the road very well, far better than my daily BMW on 20" wheels. The chassis and gearbox are a joy, I love the balance and am happy to concede that I use the auto blip all the time as it does a better job than I can. It's incredibly practical and has carried me and the other half across the cote d'azur in comfort with plenty of space for luggage etc.

Whilst I think it could be used as daily, I choose not to as I require a different type of car for my daily activities. I recon it could be used daily but I think it is best saved for weekend type driving. The only hinderance is probably the front lip.

I was hoping to do a track day or two this year but time has not been on my side. There may still be time though.

In short, I love it! More than my previous two 911's and one of those was GT3 RS. It is the perfect sports car for the road in my view.

Here is me 'not driving' it on Mont Ventoux earlier this year.



Oh, and I've also 'not driven' it in fresh snow up a mountain:

https://youtu.be/WVNfybHRDUI

[seawise]

jcosh said:

super photo

[nw942]

TDT said:

How did you find this Sports Driving School course?.... I'm going to be booking myself on for next year...

I did the Precision course earlier this year. From memory the day was as follows:

Breakfast

Handling circuit for 40 minutes to evaluate your driving
Skid plate to get the back end out - they also show you what the car will do both with zero input from you
30 minutes on Silverstone circuit - corner-by-corner instruction, braking points, trail braking
Braking practice on runways - practice turn-in with trail braking

Lunch

Skid pan - separate area to skid plate where you provoke the car and then manage the oversteer through a slalom
30 minutes on Silverstone again

Skid plate again - practice holding slides (wasn't very good at this)
Silverstone again with very little instruction

Final blast around the handling circuit

The instructor also makes notes through the day and they send you a write-up a few weeks later.

Looking at the website, the format may have changed slightly since March.

---

I had not done any track days before so I wanted to understand what the car is capable of in a controlled environment. I felt that it was the right course for me at that time. If you have already done some track days then maybe there are better options WRT instruction that are better value for money. But it was a very enjoyable day.

[isaldiri]

Just sorting out some pictures and came across this so thought I'd stick it up.

Nice car but have to say I never really got on with it and have not at any point since missed it or wanted to get another one either.

[v8ksn]

isaldiri said:

Just sorting out some pictures and came across this so thought I'd stick it up.

Nice car but have to say I never really got on with it and have not at any point since missed it or wanted to get another one either.

How DARE you have a different opinion!

You are like those people who dont like GT3's!

What's wrong with you???

[Twinfan]

woollyjoe said:

This needs more explanation.... How come?

Lack of Motorsport engine perhaps? That's the issue I had with the GT4 drivetrain, and combined with the long gearing it isn't any more exciting than a vanilla Cayman or 911.

Handling is great (especially on track) though, that's a fairly universal opinion.

[Steve Rance]

I think that they are a good car. More of the original RS philosophy which was to hone in small incriments, the sum of which make a bigger diffence than perhaps you might think. It comes from a road car base as the original RS's did. The GT3 philosophy comes from a race car base so in general is an edgier, more brutal car by comparison.

I'm glad that Porsche made the GT4. I'd be very happy to own one as a daily driver.

[theRossatron]

woollyjoe said:

This needs more explanation.... How come?

Above 4k revs I feel like it's so... so much something i can't explain.

BTW - I bounced the revv limiter in 1st gear for first time ever (I normally short shift to keep back end tight) - how does this relate to "over revving"?

Don't worry. The rev limiter will stop this from happening under normal circumstances. You should only be able to over-rev it by downshifting when the roadspeed is too high for that gear.

[FocusRS3]

Cracking cars these . I used mine or track and as a daily . Be interesting to see how this rumoured new back to basics 911 compares if they ever launch it.

I've just bought a very lovely 987 Soyder which is a totally different car.
Be interesting to see how I gel with it after the GT4.

Edited by FocusRS3 on Friday 8th September 19:26

[Steve Rance]

Even though the 991 is inching towards a more centrally located engine, it's still a rear engines car. I think that the dynamic differences between the 911 and Cayman will always define each and separate them. I think that this is great as you have the choice of either as a focussed driving tool. It's just down to the preferences of the driver.

There will always be the odd protagonist who denegrate one over the other but in the main Id like think that these cars galvanise together the purist drivers amongst us

[FocusRS3]

When's the next gt4 due out guys ?